One thing that I see again and again is really talented and creative photographers who just aren’t able to make a living as a working artist. They shoot a lot, take a lot of photos for friends, and post content regularly on Instagram, but they don’t seem to be able to earn the kind of income that they feel they deserve for their work. In this article I want to discuss a few simple tips for how you can break this pattern and start building a seriously profitable business and be recognized as the creative and expert that you are.

Number 1 is to think like a business man or woman. Very often creatives and artists are so focused on their craft that they fail to really focus on growing their business and they forget that if they don’t build the business properly it will cease to exist. Simply put, they work in their business, not on their business. I see it so often where a photographer has zero understanding of what it takes or costs for them to actually get a customer. Additionally, many photographers don’t want to sell. They see themselves as artists, not sales people and sometimes are even repulsed by the idea of having to sell their work. This is a tragic mistake. Sales is an absolutely essential part of any successful business. Don’t worry, this does not mean you have to be sleazy or take advantage of people. Good sales technique is actually quite the opposite, but a photographer who doesn’t know how to sell is losing out on a lot of clients and money. Understanding conversions and how to turn people from strangers to high paying customers on the phone is a gamechanger for photographers and will set you apart in a big way as you get really good.

Number 2 is to be proactive in your approach to getting customers. So many photographers think that slowly building an Instagram following, advertising on The Knot or word of mouth referrals is how to successfully and quickly build their business. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with sharing your work on Instagram or getting clients through referral, but if you have to count on these methods for clients you are almost guaranteeing that your business will have trouble. The reason is that there is nothing reliable, consistent or predictable about these methods. It's great when we get a client from one of these channels, but we can’t rely on them solely. This is a closely related point to the first tip, but its so critical that photographers understand the role of effective advertising in their business. If you are struggling to get clients or you just don’t have a predictable system to bring new clients in every month then implementing a solid marketing strategy and system will help you generate a constant stream of leads and keep you closing new clients.  

Number 3 is to work daily on cultivating a positive and productive mindset. Perhaps the greatest threat to any entrepreneur is their mindset and the negative beliefs that they have. Many photographers don’t have the confidence to charge a lot for their services and if you want to “turn pro” and start building a really profitable business, confidence and getting rid of self doubt is at the top of the list. Beginning to notice negative thought patterns and working consistently to change them will give you the confidence to charge more money when talking to prospects. If you doubt yourself or you unconsciously (or consciously) don’t believe that you are worthy of making a certain amount of money then you never will. The reason is because you won’t take the action to get it.  

If you start implementing these tips you will begin to position yourself as one of the strongest competitors in your space. The fact that so many photographers just don’t know or do these things is the ultimate advantage for you. If you are serious and you want to build a powerful and profitable business, start taking action on these things- the things that really get results, and watch everything begin to change for you.

Thanks so much for reading and I’ll talk to you guys again soon,

-Peter

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